Sheffield Uni Easter vacation now starts tomorrow due to coronavirus crisis

Sheffield Unversity’s Easter vacation will begin a fortnight earlier over the coronavirus crisis.

The Easter break will now begin on Friday 20 March and the spring semester will resume on Monday 20 April.

The uni said in an email to all students on Thursday morning that the change was approved by a vote on the University Senate, to allow staff more time to learn about online teaching.

All classes have been moved online until further notice over the escalating Covid-19 pandemic.

The libraries and most campus buildings have also closed down for the foreseeable future, as universities across the country have emptied with many students heading home.

Sheffield Uni said in an email: “To allow our teaching staff to focus on making this transition and to ensure you are able to achieve your learning outcomes, a proposal was put to the University’s Senate, which was very strongly supported by the Students’ Union representatives on Senate, to amend the dates for the spring semester.

“The Students’ Union said they believe it is imperative that the University is given adequate time to prepare for online teaching and that amending the semester dates will allow this to be done properly in the best interests of students.

“This recommendation has now been approved by the University’s Council. As such, the current half of the spring semester will now end on Friday (20 March 2020) and the second half of the spring semester will start on Monday 20 April 2020. Timetables will be updated to reflect the new dates in the coming days.”

Dozens of universities nationwide have cancelled classes, with some also axing exams and postponing summer graduation.

Sheffield Hallam has stopped face-to-face teaching, however its libraries remain open.